Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-09

small creature III Sa1ety 10 lIS aHXlOus
mistress.
"Oh, thank you, very, very much p'
she said, eagerly. "It was so good OF
you to save my little pet. 1 am most
grateful to you;" and she raised her
beautiful eyes to his face, while his
heart beat with heavy thud, worthy
of a Nasmyth hammer.
He was handsome fellow and she
acknowledged the fact to herself as
she looked up to his animated cOun-
tenance-the clear, dark eyes, the
closely-cropped hair and clean-shaved,
bronzed face-save for the heavy,
brown moustache--the tall, manly
figure and erect carriage.
II! has been more than pleasure
to serve you," he murmured, raising
his hat chivalrously. 81 am delighted
l was upon the spot; such savage
dogs ought to be muzzled."
He turned as he spoke and walked
by her side.
$50 far out of London such regula-
tions are not enforced" she answered,
with smile.
"No, but they ought to be, if hydro
phodia is to be stamped out Of Eng
land"
81 hope you have not let the animal
bite you?" she said, anxonsly.
"Oh, dear, no! What a lovely little
place this is"
Eyes. You are a stranger here ?"
she said interrogatively.
"Quite. I confess 1 should prefer
having companion, but have en-
joyed my stay here, 80 far; they take
great care of me at the inn."
"They are very respectable people,"
she returned, demurely.
"What an exquisite little cottage
yours is," he said, after pause "do
you know / saw you in your garden a
day or two since?'
eyes, 1 recognized you again." she
returned, quietly. "riny rather OBJ
jected to you, but he did not know
you would prove friend in need to
him." she added, with a sunny laug h.
"No. He was decidedly antagonis-
tic," he answered, laughing too.
| "Do you want to muzzle him." she
asked.
81 am afraid so; if the thing is to
be done at all it should be done prop
erly; but if anv dog in the world is
exempted that one should be Tiny"
because he is SO amiable ?" she
queried.
"No; because his mistress is," re-
piled he, gallantly.
"That was well turned" she
laughed; "and nov must wish you
good day; our roads lie apart. 1 am
going home"
A look of regret passed across his
| features, and his eyes fell upon a
cluster of delicate Marshal Mel roses
upon her shoulder.
"What exquisite blossoms" he said,
"may ask great favor?"
"You have done me one," she an
swered graciously, "and have certain
ly the right to demand one in return"
81 haven'ta flower in my room,"
he said, in a low voice, "may l crave
one of your roses for my table ?"
"One would be of little use-you
are welcome to- the whole bunch, they
will fill small vase" she answered
readily, and unpinning them she
placed them in his hand with nat
ural, unconcerned bow, as she turned
in the direction of her golden
thatched cottage with her dog in her
arms.
Grateful, and generous, and affec-
tionate," he decided, and pressed the
roses to his lips. That night he wrote
again to his friend:
''Dear Falkner-I have met my
fate. 1t is no. use your coming for
me; l shall get my leave extended.
She is enchanting! 1t is serious this
time, old fellow, so don't laugh.
Yours ever. b. B.
lie haunted that land. Sometimes
he spoke to her over the fence; she
was very gracious to him, but she did
not ask him in.
Once she was walking in the garden
with an elderly man.
"Her father" he told himself.
What a nice-looking old fellow;
must get hold of him and then it will
be all right"
He telegraphed to Covent Garden
for q bouquet of rare exoticsto be sent
down to him by parcels post. They
came, and he went and left them at
the house himself, with his card at
tached, and underneath he wrote: 'In
grateful return for the roses," and
closed the box once more.
A neat maid received it from his
hands, and with her "Merci, mon
sieur," he discovered she was a
Frenchwoman.
He asked no questions and left no
message, not wishing to expose his
ignorance of even his lady's name.
He walked on, but he was restless.
and returned once more and sat upon
the wall to watch. Surely his divinity
would come out soon. She did, with
the garden hose in her hand and set
to work diligently to water. Suddenly
she turned it in the Captains direction
and soused him through and through.
Then, with silvery laugh, quickly
checked, she made her apologies,
''Dear me, Captain Barkeley!" she
said, with much apparent concern,
"I'm afraid l have sprinkled you a
little"
"Sprinkled" him! He was wet
through but he vowed it was "noth-
ing," and that he "liked it," and she
thanked him 80 sweetly for the bou-
quet that he was quite happy, only
his happiness was short-lived, for
she had pressing engagement and
hastened indoors at once. He saun-
tered to the inn and changed his
clothes, then started for a walk, think
ing Of her.
A dog-cart was dashing along the
road, and suddenly CHEEKY voice
reused him.
"Hallo. Barkeleyl Where on earth
have you sprung from? Who would
ever have expected you to turn up
in this quiet corner ?" and the speaker
handed the reins to his cockaded
groom and jumped down to meet his
friend and brother officer, shaking him
warmly by the hand.
81 may we'll return the compliment,
La Coste," laughed Bertram Barkeley.